Dozens arrested in ECSO warrant sweep

Sheriff David Morgan reports on a join operation with the U.S. Marshal.

Sheriff David Morgan

Credit Escambia County Sheriff's Office

An arrest warrant sweep dubbed “Operation Smoking Gun” netted 61 arrests last month, according to Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan.

That and future such operations are aimed at whittling down the roughly 25,000 outstanding warrants the Escambia County Sheriff's Office deals with on any given day. But Morgan says that’s actually down from the 34,000 that he inherited when he took office in 2009.

The weeklong sweep produced suspects who are named in a total of 76 warrants. The charges span across the felony spectrum, but the most common is violation of probation or parole.

The suspects in the round-up are both men and women; they’re white, African-American, Hispanic and Asian, and range in age from 18 to 67. Morgan added that the operation also led to information about a “pretty sizable” burglary ring in the county. Ten arrests have been made in that case, which remains under investigation.

Heading into 2014, more such operations are planned as part of what the Sheriff calls a “consistent approach to law enforcement.”